Syracuse, NY -- The Syracuse University football team held its second practice of preseason camp Tuesday in much more sultry conditions than Monday’s opener, but the 90-degree heat seemingly had no effect on the players, a testament to their off-season work with strength and conditioning coaches Will Hicks and Hal Luther.

The practice was the team’s second in helmets and shorts (the shoulder pads come on today), and thus much time was spent on the technical aspects of each position such as proper hand placement, steps, form and stance as well as installation.

I had a chance to see a few kickoffs from true freshman Ryan Norton on one of the team’s practice fields, and it appears he will be worthy of the scholarship he was offered for basically performing one function this season. His kicks have great height and length, factors that should greatly aid SU’s kick-coverage team and also allow place-kicker Ross Krautman to concentrate on field goals and PAT kicks exclusively.

I wrote it previously and will reiterate it here: SU’s defensive line is massive, and a source at practice told me the most impressive bulk is still on the way. That would be junior-college transfer tackle Davon Walls (6-foot-5, 315 pounds). Walls took an exam Monday and was still awaiting the results Tuesday, so he missed his second day of camp. A source told me he is expected to be on the field today for day 3. It is hard to imagine a more imposing physical specimen than Iowa transfer John Raymon (6-5, 313), who is doing some conditioning work with Hicks to get his weight down to the 290 range. I’m really eager to get a look at Walls.

Frank Ordoñez / The Post-StandardSyracuse University football coach Doug Marrone calls the next play for tight end Ron Thompson, left, and offensive tackle Sean Hickey during practice Tuesday.

I also spent some time looking at SU’s rookie tight ends Ron Thompson and Josh Parris. Thompson’s weight has been adjusted on the online depth chart to reflect the roster (6-4 266), and he appears to be all of that. He moves well for a youngster his size and has good hands. Paris (6-2, 256) is a slightly smaller version but has similar tools. My gut feeling is that barring injuries to the veterans, one will play this season and the other will redshirt.

Finally, I spent some time watching defensive end Markus Pierce-Brewster (6-3, 230), a JUCO All-American last season. The guy is flat-out fast, perhaps fast enough to be on the kickoff unit that opens the season Sept. 1 vs. Northwestern in the Carrier Dome. And he has some nice moves off the edge, too. Yet, right now he – and all the newcomers, for that matter – has some catching up to do in the technical aspects of the position. My guess is he has never had the choreography of a pass rush broken down step by step, movement by movement, before but has relied purely on his natural ability. I will be following his learning curve closely.